


Life Audit

by Lightbulbs



Category: Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Book 03: Oathbringer Spoilers, Character Study, Gen, Interlude, Missing Scene, Thaylenah, office politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-16 02:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21263606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightbulbs/pseuds/Lightbulbs
Summary: Right as Rysn quits her job as a master merchant, she lands a position as liaison at the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve thanks to her babsk. It’s not the most exciting work, but what can she do?[Missing interlude featuring Rysn’s initial stint at the reserve, starting from her work as a liaison leading into interlude I-13 in Oathbringer]





	1. Rise

“And this,” said a Thaylen woman wearing a crisp blouse and skirt, “will be your new office.”

Rysn looked around. The office’s blank walls were bland as anything, looking all the sadder given that the room itself was tiny. At least a merchant wagon had character. She felt herself deflate, sagging into her chair. Still, after everything her babsk had done to get her this job, she couldn’t let her frustration show. “Thank you,” she said graciously.

The woman, Tvlra, was a resource manager at the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve, managing the account holdings at the main branch in Thaylen City. As of today, she was also Rysn’s supervisor.

“No, thank _ you _for accepting this position,” Tvlra said. “I know it must have been difficult to switch careers. Vstim spoke highly of you.”

_ Vstim sold you defective goods, _Rysn thought, but she held her tongue.

Rysn was certain her knowledge of Roshar and her understanding of trade routes had influenced the reserve’s decision to hire her, even though the actual job offer was due to her babsk sweet-talking the higher-ups at the reserve. She wondered what favors he’d promised.

Still, it felt like forever since Rysn had traveled. Getting from place to place was so inconvenient, it was hardly worth the effort. She _ had _tried to continue her mercantile business, briefly, after becoming a master merchant. But she’d hated being carried around by her porter on the craggier slopes towards the Horneater Peaks, like when she’d been tossed around in her palanquin as the poor man slipped on a rock.

In retrospect, she found it funny, in a sad sort of way. At the time, however, she’d wanted nothing less than to be chucked off a nearby cliff so she could die in dignity. She didn’t necessarily _ regret _her decision to speak with Relu-na but… well, she wasn’t particularly happy about it, either.

Rysn noticed that Tvlra was looking at her expectantly. She’d been so focused on her own thoughts, she’d lost track of the conversation. She scrambled to think of a reply. “I assure you that I will exceed expectations,” she finally said, then grimaced. _ Too much boasting. This isn’t Herdaz. _

Tvlra’s eyebrow lifted just the tiniest bit, the end shifting from where it was tucked behind her ear. “I look forward to seeing what you do.”

///

After some awkward chitchat, Tvlra left, and Rysn was given some time to sit in her office and fill out her employment contract. It was all boilerplate. She skimmed a few pages, looking at the benefits package. Filling out information for her employer-sponsored gemstone vesting account, she nearly added Chiri-Chiri as the beneficiary as a joke. Then she chided herself and added Vstim, who was the closest thing she had to family.

The last few pages held confidentiality agreements. The verbiage on _ that _part of the contract was more ironclad than most. She’d known that the reserve would have high security, but the penalties for disclosing proprietary information were still pretty high. Still, this was the norm for the Thaylen banking industry. Contracts, contracts, contracts.

Just as she was rereading the contract, there was a knock at the door. She swiveled in her chair to find a bespectacled man standing in the doorway. He was long and lean, and there was something off-putting about his smile.

“Are you finished with your paperwork? You’ve had enough time, I should think,” he said. “I’ve been requested to show you the holdings. You won’t be dealing with them directly, but all employees need to have a basic understanding of how the reserve handles gems.”

“I’m done,” Rysn said. She piled up her papers, then tapped the edge on the desk so they stacked neatly. She set them to the side, then called for Wmlak, her porter. He walked into her office from his post in the hall. With practiced ease, he took the top handles of Rysn’s chair, undoing the brakes that kept her chair from moving around while she worked. She settled into her seat. “Let’s go,” she said.

The three of them made their way down the hall. It was a tight fit, and Rysn’s chair didn’t quite have enough room in places. If this was a trip she’d need to take regularly, it would get old _ real _fast. The people who saw them coming ducked into nearby offices to clear a path.

“You finished your merchant’s apprenticeship recently, didn’t you?” the man asked. He didn’t turn around as he spoke.

“Yes, I’m a master merchant,” Rysn replied. She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t say anything else. Mostly, she was curious about how he knew. She supposed that there had already been rumors spreading about her. Her position, working as liaison between Account Holdings and Customer Experience, hadn’t existed prior to her taking the job.

Rysn’s thoughts wandered to the merchant caravan. _ What are you doing now, Babsk? You’re in New Natanan, aren’t you? _ Then she caught herself. _ Stop that. Focus. It’s only your first day! _

The hallway was lit by sconces filled with Stormlight-infused broams, allowing Rysn to glimpse the decorative features carved along the moulding. In other places, the spheres might have been too valuable to leave unintended. But here in the reserves, people ignored the huge sums of money just lying about. It made sense, Rysn supposed. After all, the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve was where even perfect gemstones were stored.

The man still hadn’t said anything. After they turned yet another corner without speaking, Rysn said, “We haven’t yet been introduced. What’s your name?”

“Stynrlk.”

More silence. Rysn sighed, though she tried to be discreet about it. “What do you do here at the bank? Besides giving tours.”

Stynrlk obviously lacked a sense of humor, as his shoulders stiffened at her joke. “I’m the manager for Customer Experience.”

_ Storms, _thought Rysn. While he wasn’t her actual supervisor, he was on the same level of the organizational chart as Tvlra, managing one of the departments at the main reserve building. Rysn would be the go-between between him and the front-facing employees who spoke with people about gemstone deposits.

_ Fun. _

“Have you had experience working outside the banking industry?” she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from her.

Stynrlk hummed. “No, but there are several tellers who left mercantile pursuits to work at the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve. They found being a merchant difficult.” His voice took on a patronizing tone. “I’m sure you have your reasons for wanting to work here.”

Rysn stewed at the implication. Still, she tamped down her frustration. “When I heard of this opportunity, I knew my services would be of use to the reserve,” she said. “Not everyone is suitable to handle the queen’s finances, after all.”

Well, saying she handled the queen’s finances was a bit of a stretch. But still.

Behind her, Wmlak chuckled. She resisted the urge to smack him.

This time Stynrlk turned to face her, though he kept moving down the hall at his slow, steady pace. His smile was decidedly unpleasant. “Don’t expect to work so closely with Queen Fen,” he said. “You’ll report to Tvlra, who will report to the Board, who will discuss things further with the queen.”

_You’re just a cog in this well-oiled machine_, he seemed to say. With a little bit of _know your place_ for good measure.

Rysn had dealt with his type before. Petty men who thrived on petty power. This was annoying.

“I look forward to providing the utmost service to the reserve as my role expands,” she said, almost offhandedly and not at all like a challenge.

///

“You’re being awfully antagonistic for someone who’s just started a new job,” Wmlak said later, back when he and Rysn had returned to her office.

“You should have seen me when I first met my babsk_,_” she said with a smile. “I was incorrigible.”

“‘Was’?”

She rolled her eyes. “If you weren’t so useful, I’d fire you,” she said, and he laughed.

As humiliating as she found being pushed and carried around, she really couldn’t have asked for a better porter. Technically she had two. But also technically, Wmlak was her favorite. Like with everything else, Vstim had worked his magic to find her someone suitable for the job. Wmlak was apparently an old family friend, and although he’d started an apprenticeship to become a merchant in his youth, he’d gravitated towards a caretaking role later in life.

“Anyway,” Rysn said, “I’m not _ trying _to antagonize anyone.” She paused, then smirked. “Not that there aren’t those who’d deserve it if I were.”

“Things will get better with time,” Wmlak said.

“I doubt Stynrlk will ever reach beyond strained civility. But, yes, they will,” she replied, “even if I have to force them to.”

He laughed. “You’re being antagonistic again.”

“No,” she said, “I’m being _ determined. _” She looked at the blank walls of her office. “I don’t think I’ll be leaving this office for a while. Would you mind grabbing some personal effects and bringing them here for me?”

Wmlak squinted at the wall. She had a plan, but all he could see was white stone. “What did you have in mind? I’m not comfortable leaving you here alone.”

“I can handle it,” she said. “Here, let me jot down a list…”

She reached into her vest pocket for a small notebook. She’d gotten in the habit of carrying one around, ever since it had helped her sell a full wagon’s worth of pressed dalewillow char to an Alethi fabrialist. Rysn was skilled with numbers, and showing just how much profit the fabrialist could make using dalewillow instead of dendrolith in her fabrial workshop had netted Rysn a tidy sum indeed. Vstim had even treated her to a spread of jam-glazed chicken and steamed lavis as a reward.

Those were good times.

After writing down her list in tidy columns, she handed Wmlak the slip of paper. With a last unsure look, he left her in the office, and she began considering the problem at hand.

///

_ This is apprentice work, _Rysn thought in annoyance.

She didn’t voice the thought aloud; in a way, she _ was _an apprentice. Instead, she just let an aide push her through a small storage room. The aide wasn’t very good at maneuvering her chair, so they kept bumping her into the big metal cabinets set along the walls.

Unfortunately, Rysn had dismissed Wmlak at just the wrong time. She hadn’t thought Tvlra would send her to fetch items so quickly, although she suspected that needling Stynrlk had backfired and that he’d suggested her for the task. Frustratingly, they’d had to find someone willing to act as her porter in Wmlak’s absence. Her other porter had the day off.

Back in the storage room, Rysn ran her eyes over the cabinets, looking at labels. Each cabinet had a spanreed attached its front, along with a pad of paper and an odd fabrial she’d never seen before. She’d learned that morning that these spanreeds were connected to smaller branches of the reserve all across Roshar so that tellers could discuss transactions over long distances. Paired with a specialized type of paper, this arrangement allowed both parties to look at the same ledger simultaneously. The setup differed from that of the main gemstone holdings, which were stored on shelves deep in a vault. This type of storage reminded her of a moneylender’s shop.

Rysn finally found the right cabinet. She used her key, a coded passphrase, to open the lock. As she did, the fabrial at the front glowed. “Why did it just light up?” she asked.

“Huh?” said the aide. “Oh, the fabrial. It’s recording information about when the cabinet was opened, and by whom.”

Rysn hummed. “So, an extra layer of security? That’s useful. I’ve never seen one before.”

“I think the reserve had the fabrials specially made?”

“Interesting,” Rysn said. And she meant it. Security fabrials could be useful for merchant wagons, more so than the warding setups that Vstim had sometimes used. These fabrials in particular seemed designed to discourage employee theft, rather than outside burglaries. Had that been a problem in the past?

She wanted to ask more, but she figured she ought to look for the papers she’d come to find. She stuck her hand in the drawer, pulling out a folder that was lying atop what felt like a tray full of spheres sorted by size. When she flipped through the papers inside, she saw that one of the four pages she needed was missing.

“Shouldn’t there be another paper in here?” she said with a frown. She gestured to the cabinet. The inside of the pull-out drawer was just visible, although she had to strain her neck to look inside. _ Inconvenient, _she thought.

The aide stepped around her to peer in the drawer. “There should be something else there,” they agreed. “I’ll ask—oh! Excuse me.” They stopped speaking mid-sentence, leaving Rysn’s side to walk over to a spanreed which had started to blink on one of the cabinets.

After twisting the spanreed’s ruby to establish a connection, the aide scrawled something on the pad pasted to the front of the cabinet. They then opened the cabinet drawer and grabbed a folder. Flipping through the papers inside, they pulled out a sheet lined with colored grids. Rysn recognized it as the special paper, the one used to communicate between branches. The aide carefully prepped the ledger with the spanreed, writing a short message before switching the gem to its receiver mode.

The aide returned to Rysn with a contrite look. “Sorry,” they said. “I need to speak to a runner. I’ll be back in a moment.”

And with that, Rysn was left alone.

She gave herself a moment to think uncharitable thoughts, mostly about the annoyance of being stuck in a room full of fabrials that might be recording her every non-move. Then Rysn considered her options. It was her first day on the job, and she was already bored. She couldn’t be a master merchant any longer—_no, don’t think about it, don’t do it—_but there had to be something else she could do. She’d joked about handling the queen’s finances. Could she do that? That job could at least be _ interesting. _Not enough to make up for her missing travels, but still… 

She glared at the three sheets of paper still in her hand if they were to blame for her mood.

_ Wait. _

As she glanced between two sheets in particular, she noticed something. Some of the verbiage was exactly the same, down to the phrasing of the instructions. There was duplicated work here, especially if both forms were sent to the same department. It didn’t make sense filling them both out.

Duplicated effort was a waste of time. Wasted time was wasted money. If Rysn could suggest something to increase efficiency…

Just as she was double-checking the second form, she felt a gust of air at her back. Was the aide back already? The air pressure in the room shifted from the open door, and it was just enough to catch the edge of the sheet of paper, snatching it from her hand and sending it airborne. Rysn groaned, reaching out in a futile gesture. The sheet floated far out of reach.

“Fantastic,” she muttered.

Suddenly, a shape flew past. It snatched the sheet of paper from midair in a blur of wings and carapace.

“Chiri-Chiri?!”

Rysn gaped at the larkin in astonishment. Why was she here, in this storage room in the middle of a fortified building? Why wasn’t she back at the apartment?

Chiri-Chiri glided past Rysn with a cheerful click. The sheet of paper in her mouth bobbed up and down, swaying like a banner as she landed on the arm of Rysn’s chair. She cocked her head to the side.

“Uh, thank you?” Rysn said. “I won’t ask why you’re here if you’ll hand that over.”

Chiri-Chiri clicked again, but she didn’t let go. She clutched the sheet tight between her mandibles. When Rysn tried to pull it away—gently, so as not to tear it—it was like trying to separate an axehound from its favorite toy.

“Chiri-Chiri,” Rysn said warningly.

With that, Chiri-Chiri finally let go. Rysn grabbed the sheet before the larkin could change her mind. As Rysn looked at it, she saw a tiny hole at the top where Chiri-Chiri’s mandibles had pierced through.

_ Maybe no one’ll notice, _Rysn thought. She smoothed the torn paper.

Chiri-Chiri settled on her shoulder. It had been a while since Rysn had left her alone for a day, and it seemed Chiri-Chiri had missed her. The bigger the larkin got, the needier she became. Rysn worried that soon she’d have to start carrying her everywhere.

Wmlak came into the room shortly after. The door was already open, so the only notice Rysn got of his arrival was the heavy thudding footsteps she’d begun to associate with the lumbering man. “The little stowaway decided to follow me,” he said, walking up to Rysn and shaking his head. “I almost couldn’t stop her from flying into the vault.”

“Oh, that would’ve been hilarious,” said Rysn with a laugh. She imagined the larkin gobbling up all the Stormlight from all the reserve’s gemstones. Granted, the main reserve’s most valuable holdings were dun, stored behind layers of security, but there were a few infused gems here and there. The wall sconces, for example. It probably made Chiri-Chiri hungry.

Rysn noticed she was still holding the sheet of paper. Chiri-Chiri was eyeing it, flicking her wings and making little clicks. Giving the larkin a stern look, Rysn slipped the sheet back into the folder. “Did you bring everything?” she asked Wmlak.

Wmlak nodded. “All of the items you requested are in a box on your desk.”

Rysn smiled. When the aide finally came back, a teller in tow to find the missing sheet of paper, she, Wmlak, and the rogue larkin made their way back to her office and began to decorate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two notes: 
> 
> ♦ Wmlak is Rysn’s “man” in the _Oathbringer_ interlude, and although he doesn’t get much book time, I see him as being a home aide in addition to being a porter.  
♦ The organizational structure of the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve is based _very_ loosely on the U.S. Federal Reserve.


	2. Rose

“Just sit back and watch how the tellers interact with people. That should be enough to give you an idea of how the customer experience works,” Stynrlk said, giving Rysn a condescending smile.

Rysn smiled back, witheringly.

She’d been working at the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve for a month now, and things weren’t getting better. Irritation simmered in her like a kettle fit to boil over. But as much as she wanted to tell Stynrlk she _ really _ thought, she couldn’t. Her position was precarious. Vstim wouldn’t want her to lose her job, and more than anything, she wanted him to be proud. She just _ hated _being a gofer. Liaison. Whatever. Surely things would be more exciting at the top? She kept telling herself that.

Stynrlk apparently thought nothing of her reticence, which was for the best given her…less than charitable thoughts. 

The front area of the reserve’s main branch was small and filled with chairs and tables. There were three booths set up, each with walk-up counters where customers could explain their needs—withdrawals, deposits, becoming a branch member, that sort of thing. If they wanted to store their _ real _precious gems, like gemhearts, they’d need to go to one of the tables along the side, where an assistant manager would meet with them to discuss options.

Despite the fact that Rysn was a liaison and should be directly involved in these discussions, Stynrlk refused to let her stay nearby. He said such dealings were “beneath her position.” He and his staff had everything handled, and she should just wait for the proper paperwork to arrive at her office for processing.

What a load of chull.

It was almost a surprise that he’d deigned have her watch the front dealings today, although he went about it in the most aggravating way possible.

“Do you see how she started the transaction?” asked Stynrlk, directing her attention to a young woman standing at the first teller’s booth. A couple of diamond broams lay scattered beneath the teller’s window.

“...by saying hello?”

“Greetings are _ very _important.”

“...”

Rysn’s internal scream could surely be heard in Iri.

///

She’d just about released her frustrations by the time Wmlak pushed her back to her office. The whole morning had been a waste. She’d learned more on the first day of her merchant’s apprenticeship than she had in watching Stynrlk simper and kowtow to people coming into the reserve.

“That man is going to be the death of me,” Rysn whined.

“Or are you going to be the death of him?” said Wmlak, chuckling.

Rysn smiled. “You’d have to wheel me over to murder him, which would make you an accomplice.”

“Hmm.” She couldn’t see Wmlak, but she imagined the thoughtful look on her porter’s face. “I suppose we should skip the murdering, then.”

“Probably.”

Wmlak pushed open the door to her office, then wheeled her inside. He stepped forward so she could see his respectful nod, then left her alone. Rysn stared at the walls, hoping it would help to snuff out those last embers of frustration.

The walls were no longer white, instead plastered with mementos from her travels. Towards the top was a large map of the Reshi Isles, although it wasn’t totally accurate, since she knew that the islands shifted ever so slightly off-map with the greatshells’ movements. Beneath that were strands of chicken feathers tied together on a colored string, as if they were a fringed belt. Even her slow-witted grass, Tvynk, sat displayed in a decorative pot. Chiri-Chiri curled up around its base, dozing peacefully.

Everything reminded her of her travels. Like spheres infused with Stormlight, each object held dear memories. Seeing the display should have made Rysn feel better, bringing a caravan feel to her otherwise sterile office. And yet, looking at her wall, something didn’t quite sit right with her. Sometimes she felt a dark envy for her younger self.

Times like now.

_ This isn’t helping! _

Rysn pushed her grumpy thoughts aside, looking back down at the forms on her desk. She’d brought up her concerns about efficiency to Tvlra, and the woman had been surprisingly receptive. She’d taken Rysn’s idea to her supervisor, and amazingly enough, he was willing to test a new documentation method if she provided the suggested wording.

She spent a few hours working on the paperwork, tweaking the language. At one point, she caught a few concentrationspren rippling around her. This was her chance, a way for her to break ground to getting a promotion. It had to be good. After she checked the form for the umpteenth time, she called for Wmlak.

“Yes?” he asked, walking into the room and standing beside her desk.

“Would you please deliver this to Tvlra?”

“What is it?”

Rysn sighed. “Hopefully my travel papers.”

Wmlak took the rewritten forms, leaving her to stare at her maps and trace her eyes along the path she’d taken on the day that changed her life.

///

Rysn hated working in Customer Experience. That surprised her; it was a sales position, and who better to make sales than a master merchant? But no. Just… no.

Frankly, it didn’t take much to convince people to store their gemstones at the reserve. People needed safety, and the reserve’s long history provided comfort in chaos. Recently, a huge storm had hit Thaylen City, smashing into buildings and marketplaces with a gusting, torrential downpour that blew the wrong way. It was terrifying. In all Rysn’s life, she’d never seen anything like it. Even the stoic guards and the royal family were alarmed.

Then the parshmen went a little crazy, and they started stealing all the ships and attacking the traveling merchants for their supplies. Rysn’s heart had nearly stopped when she heard the news, and she’d forced Wmlak to find some way, any way, to confirm that Vstim hadn’t docked in the city. He hadn’t, and she breathed a sigh of relief, even as the infrastructure crumbled and she had to deal with the extra navigational challenges of offset stone flooring and rubble blocking previously accessible paths.

It was a rough day, made rougher by Stynrlk and his insistence that she stay off to the side, out of sight from the customers. Maybe he thought she’d offend someone. He certainly offended _ her. _

Although Rysn got along with her coworkers just fine, she felt vaguely dissatisfied when she looked at the maps and trinkets on her walls. She was good at what she did, minimal as it was. The more she worked, the better she got at navigating the reserve building, even in her chair. And yet the job remained as dull as ever.

///

Rysn was headed back from a day in Customer Experience when Chiri-Chiri decided to make a break for it. With a gleeful chirrup, Chiri-Chiri flew down the hallway, heading back to the front foyer.

“Chiri-Chiri!” Rysn called, watching the larkin turn a corner and disappear from sight. “Storms. Wmlak, after her!”

“On it.”

Wmlak pushed her chair, and the two moved quickly. Rysn’s seat rattled beneath her. Luckily, no one decided to leave their offices, leaving the path open. (Rysn would have at least looked to see what was going on, but maybe the others just weren’t as nosy as her.)

As they turned a corner, they suddenly saw a woman, a parcel in her hands. She stood in the middle of the hallway.

“Stop!” Rysn cried, putting out her hands.

Wmlak bumped against the chair back as they skidded to a halt, almost sending Rysn flying. They’d just managed to avoid a collision, but it was a near thing. The woman looked startled, as well she should be. Her hands clutched the fabric wrappings of her parcel protectively.

“I’m sorr—” Rysn started to say, but she glanced where the woman was looking. The woman’s wide eyes were directed at Chiri-Chiri, who sat preening on one of the sconces on the wall. The gems inside were dun, obviously due to the little larkin’s gluttony.

“Chiri-Chiri!” Rysn scolded. “I’m sorry. She’s normally better behaved.”

“Is that…” The woman gaped. “A larkin?”

“Oh.” Rysn flushed. In the midst of everything that had happened in Reshi, she sometimes forgot that Relu-na’s gift was _ highly _irregular. Unheard of, even. Vstim’s desire for a larkin carcass was evidence enough that seeing a live one was like meeting a humble Herdazian. “Um, yes. She was a gift on my travels.”

“A gift…” the woman said in awe. “Someone appreciates you very much.”

Rysn didn’t know what to say. “Do you need help?” she finally asked, gesturing to the parcel.

The woman blinked, then smiled. “To the point, I see.” She tugged at a tasseled rope, uncovering the parcel. It was gemheart, and it was large. _ Very _large. Its ruby glow was dazzling. Rysn considered how much coin it would be worth if sold. “I’m looking to store a gemheart at the reserve, to gather interest.”

“And to keep it safe?” said Rysn. She glanced around, but Stynrlk wasn’t nearby. All of the tellers were busy. Would she get in trouble for jumping into the transaction like this? _ Storm it, _she thought. She went through the mental checklist of questions she was supposed to ask. “Would you need to have access to funds outside of Thaylenah?”

“Yes,” said the woman. “I may need to send money outside of the country’s borders. Would that be possible?”

“Where to?”

“The Reshi Isles.”

Rysn smothered her shock. She’d been thinking the woman had a certain look to her, with her dark hair and round face, but she’d dismissed the idea. She’d just been thinking about Relu-na, after all. What was someone from the Reshi Isles doing in Thaylenah of all places?

_ The Reshi like boldness, _Rysn thought. When she spoke, she projected as much authority as she could muster. “I don’t have an answer for you, but I will find out right now. Please follow me, and I’ll be able to tell you immediately.”

“That’s all right,” the woman began, but Rysn smiled confidently. The woman smiled back. “Well, if you insist,” she said.

They sat at one of the side tables to hash out the details. When Rysn convinced the woman to upgrade her membership, she felt the tiniest, tiniest spark. A reminder of what it’d been like to seal the deal on a good trade.

///

“You handled that well,” said Tvlra with a satisfied smile.

_ If you call nearly bowling over a woman while trying to catch a runaway pest “well,” then sure, _snarked Rysn internally. But aloud, she said, “Thank you.”

After Rysn’s meeting with the Reshi woman, her supervisor had popped by the office to chat. It was an unexpected visit, particularly since Rysn had yet to hear about the form proposal Wmlak had delivered. She’d heard from her hallmates that Stynrlk was on a warpath, annoyed at losing a big commission. Rysn had been worried it might be him.

Tvlra looked at Rysn’s wall, a curious look on her face. “I see you weren’t just boasting on your first day,” she said.

Rysn thought back to the day she’d started working at the reserve. It felt like so long ago. “‘Boasting’?”

“When you said that you would exceed expectations.”

_ Oh, _ thought Rysn. _ Oooooh. _ She’d forgotten about that. She felt her cheeks heat, and she fiddled with her long eyebrows so that they covered her face.

“There was discussion about your role prior to your hiring, even with Vstim’s recommendation,” said Tvlra. She spoke conversationally, not taking her eyes from the maps and trinkets on Rysn’s wall. “People were concerned that you might not…fit…into the organizational culture.” 

Rysn blinked. She hadn’t considered that. Then again, she’d interacted with so many weird cultures—_no, not “weird,” your babsk would scold you for thinking that—_that she assumed she’d be able to assimilate with just about anyone.

“At this point, I should think any concerns have been alleviated. I plan to put in a request that you be transferred to deal more directly with accounts. Although you obviously have skill in customer service, your suggestions in efficiency were roundly approved by the Board. I think you’d have a knack for analysis and more detail-oriented work. Would this be acceptable?”

Rysn’s jaw dropped. She snapped it shut. “Of course,” she replied, even as her thoughts whirred. “That would be appreciated.”

Tvlra’s face crinkled as she smiled. “I thought that might be the case. Regardless, there’s no guarantee the transfer will go through, so please continue the good work.”

///

Rysn asked Wmlak to take her to the market to celebrate. She wasn’t that much of a cook, but she wanted to make something special for that night’s dinner. If her transfer paperwork went through, she wouldn’t be helping the queen, but at least she’d be doing something _ different. _

“What do you want to make?” asked Wmlak, looking at the stalls with their bright awnings and waving banners.

Rysn felt better than she had in ages. Was it the job change, or was it being outside, here at the market? “How about we just look around?” she suggested.

Wmlak chuckled, but he gamely pushed her to the first stall. There was nothing there of interest, mostly jewelry, so they kept moving further into the marketplace. People jostled past, chatting noisily. Even with the chaos of the wrong-way storm, folks were out living their lives.

As the smell of cookfires grew stronger, Rysn’s stomach growled. Maybe she’d just buy some food. One smell in particular, a sweet smokiness, caught her attention. “Take me over there,” she said, “to whatever it is that smells so good.”

The delicious smell ended up being grilled fruits and vegetables skewered on kabobs. As Rysn saw the vendor, she did a double-take. “It’s you!”

The Reshi woman blinked. Then she smiled, recognizing Rysn. “It’s nice to see you again. Is your larkin with you?”

“Chiri-Chiri? No, she’s sleeping.” Rysn gestured to the kabobs. “Those look delicious.”

“Thank you.” The woman looked at Rysn. “Are you surprised to see me behind a cook stand?”

Rysn sputtered. “What? Why would… Is it that obvious?” She tugged at the end of her eyebrow nervously. “Given what I know of the Reshi Isles, I’d have thought you wouldn’t want to sell to just anyone.”

The woman shook her head. “Not all Reshi are alike, you know.”

Rysn’s face felt as warm as if she’d planted it directly on the woman’s grill. A few shamespren fell around her, scattering like petals. “My apologies,” she mumbled.

“It’s all right,” said the woman gently. “I understand why you might think that way. Are you a merchant?”

“Was.” Rysn shrugged. “I went to the Reshi Isles as one of my last trades. It was a nice place. It’s where my larkin is from.”

“Hmm,” said the woman. “There’s a story there. But I won’t ask.” She gestured to the stalls in the market and to the people passing by. “I’m working here and sending money to my family. I wanted to travel, and so I made my way to the mainland. But the fighting and wars… It’s not what I expected. With this new storm, I’m worried.”

“Me too,” admitted Rysn. “But at least your gemheart’s safe, huh?”

The woman laughed. “You _ are _a merchant! Always thinking of your trades.”

“I’m not—”

“A person can play many roles. Even if you are a banker now, I suspect you’ll always be a merchant at heart.”

_ This is an awfully personal conversation to be having in the middle of a crowded marketplace, _thought Rysn. She felt awkward, even more so with Wmlak standing right behind her. She cleared her throat. “Anyway,” she said, “three skewers, please.”

“Let me grill them fresh for you.” The woman leaned down to pull fruit out from a sealed storage box. After she opened the lid, she swore. “There were three more baskets of limafruit in here earlier,” she muttered, just low enough to where Rysn had to strain to hear her. “Someone’s been going through my things.”

“Thefts? At your stand?”

The woman sighed. “What else could it be?” She pulled out some sellafuit, slicing them into thin strips. Her brow was furrowed as she set aside her knife.

“Have you thought of using a security fabrial?”

The woman shrugged and laid out the sellafruit strips and a few limafruits. She began to skewer them, alternating between the two fruits. “Would it help?”

“If you’re dealing with theft, sure,” said Rysn. The woman laid the three skewers on the grill, and they sizzled with heat. The sweet smell of caramelized fruit filled the air. “There are a couple of options. Warding fabrials, a few newer tools.” Rysn shrugged. “If the thefts keep happening, let me know, and I can provide you with further information.”

“Are you speaking as the banker, or the merchant?”

Rysn laughed. “The merchant, I guess.”

The woman pulled the skewers from the grill, then dusted them with a brown spice. As she handed them to Rysn, she gave her a meaningful look. “Take care not to lock too many parts of yourself away.”

Rysn didn’t know what to say. She thanked the woman for the food and had Wmlak start walking them back towards the market exit.

“That was…” Rysn began, then trailed off.

“Informative,” Wmlak said.

Rysn frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The advice you gave.”

“Oh, that.” Rysn plucked a limafruit from the skewer. Its outside was green and crispy, though the inside was still a bit too hot for her to eat. She crushed it between her fingers, letting out steam. “I can’t help it,” she said. “Markets bring out the merchant in me.”

“No, not that.” Wmlak paused. “What I mean is… should you have said all that? About the fabrials?”

Rysn snorted. “Nothing I said was proprietary.”

“I suppose not,” he replied, and they turned to lighter topics before heading to Rysn’s apartment. She was so excited about the transfer, she could hardly sleep. When she did, she dreamed not of broams and gemstones, but of an ocean breeze.

///

The next morning, Rysn just barely made it to the office on time. Her thoughts were so muddled that it took a moment for her to notice the envelope on her desk. She eyed it curiously. Had her promotion gone through already? Why hadn’t Tvlra told her directly?

She opened it up and read the letter inside. It was a writ of summons. She was to meet with the Board and the queen at a meeting later that afternoon.


	3. Rysn

Rysn went to the meeting dressed nicely. Not that she was a shabby dresser ordinarily, but she didn’t feel like her usual vest-and-slacks outfit would be suitable for an audience of both the Board and the queen.

It was a bit of a pain. She’d had to have Wmlak take her home briefly, and then have Hnka, her other aide, dress her, taking up her entire lunch break. Her stomach was growling by the end. Still, she knew it’d be worth it if she could move out of her liaison role.

_ Maybe I’ll be promoted to working with the queen directly, _she thought.

Wmlak stayed silent as he wheeled Rysn into a small antechamber where the meeting was being held. At the front of the room was a small dias with a long, curved table. A group of men and women sat to the left, while Queen Fen sat on the right. A few guards were posted around the room.

After making sure Rysn was settled, Wmlak took his leave, leaving her to face everyone alone. She mentally rehearsed a snappy anecdote about Vstim and a time she overcame disappointment.

One of the board members, an elderly man with a wrinkled face and eyebrows styled out from his face, cleared his throat. He spoke, and Rysn’s world seemed to tilt.

_ No. _Surely she’d misheard.

“Beg pardon?” she asked. She stared at the assembled executives and digitaries with a look of vague shock. She tried to hide it, but… what? _ What. _

“You’ve been summoned due to concerns over breaches of contract,” he repeated. “We would like to hear from you directly regarding these allegations so that we may assess the veracity of these claims.”

Rysn felt like a fool. Of _ course _ this wasn’t a promotion, or an interview. Of _ storming _course. Why would Queen Fen be involved in a transfer request? Rysn had let Tvlra’s praise go to her head.

“Might I ask who submitted the complaint?” Rysn asked. Her voice was calm, but it came out strained. Her throat tightened around the words.

“We cannot share that information,” a woman replied.

Rysn shifted in her seat, almost wishing she had Wmlak at her side. She took a breath, tucked her eyebrows behind her ears, and looked the Board in the eye. Her hands sat folded in her lap. “Please, ask as you will.”

The man lifted a sheet of paper. “This form was found outside the reserve. We were told that you were the last to handle it.”

Rysn squinted. What was it? She’d never taken any work home. “Which form is that?”

“We shall read it to you.”

The man passed the sheet over to the woman beside him rather than reading it aloud himself. Just because Thaylen men _ could _ read didn’t mean they would during official business. The need for propriety made Rysn nervous. They were being _ serious _about this.

As the woman read from the sheet of paper, Rysn recognized what it was immediately. It was the form she’d adjusted. She’d spent so long tweaking the language, the old words were practically seared into her memory.

That made things easy. Rysn spoke with confidence. “I recall this form clearly. I retrieved it from Storage 2-C on my first day at the job, along with three other forms from the same cabinet. That said, the forms were delivered to Tlvra soon after.” She gestured to the form the woman held. “The form you hold is out of date. You graciously decided to implement my suggested changes.”

“So we did,” someone murmured.

The woman still shook her head. “While that may be the case, we still have concerns over this older form, one which you have admitted to handling, being found outside of the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve. It is a breach of nondisclosure, however mild.”

Rysn’s heart thudded. She’d never taken that form out. It was—it—

Something clicked.

“Forgive the strange question, but is there a hole at the top of that sheet of paper?”

“...a hole?” The woman looked baffled. She ran her free hand over the paper. “No, there is not. Is this relevant?”

“Yes,” said Rysn. “You may have seen my… uh. That is, there is a larkin that sometimes attends to me at the office, and on that day, she retrieved the paper in question for me as I was looking through the files.” She grimaced. “The larkin may have…torn a hole in the paper. A tiny one.”

The Board murmured. Queen Fen looked… well, Rysn wasn’t sure how the woman looked. Her face was unreadable.

Rysn continued. “The form in question, were it the older one, would have a hole at the top. I have not handled the sheet of paper you hold.”

“Why should we believe you?” asked one of the board members who hadn’t yet spoken. She wore a look of displeasure, as if she had swallowed a live cremling. 

“The security fabrial,” Rysn said. “The fabrial on the drawer should give you a time in which I was in the storage room. From there, you should be able to determine that both the larkin and I were in the room handling paperwork at the time.”

“We may be able to obtain visual confirmation,” murmured the man. He looked to Rysn. “We will take what you have said under consideration.”

“Thank you,” said Rysn. She swallowed. “Will that be all?”

The man shook his head. “As we mentioned, there were multiple complaints to address in this meeting. For one, you have provided sufficient information. For the other, we are calling in the complainant directly so that both parties can provide information.” He looked to the guards. “If you would…?”

The guards nodded and opened the door.

A few angerspren boiled at the bottom of Rysn’s chair.

“Thank you for allowing me to express my concerns with you directly,” said Stynrlk, walking into the room with a deferentially bowed head. He looked like he always did at Customer Experience, all simpering and obsequience. “I happened to overhear Rysn speaking with a merchant at the market yesterday evening, and it was concerning enough to bring to your attention.”

Rysn looked at him incredulously._ He just _ happened _ to be there? _

“At the market, in speaking with one of the vendors, Rysn brought up the security protocols of the reserve.” Stynrlk rubbed his hands together in feigned nervousness. “I really am terribly sorry to be bringing this up, but nondisclosure is so very important. With Thaylen borders opening up due to the new Oathgate, and with people coming in and out at all hours, what’s to say that that there won’t be corporate spies as well?”

The Board looked _ very _nervous now. Queen Fen frowned, first at Stynrlk, then at Rysn.

_ How dare he, _thought Rysn, blood pounding in her ears. She hadn’t spoken a wit about the reserve’s security protocols! “Please let me speak,” she said, hoping she sounded less angry than she felt.

“As you will.”

“I spoke to a vendor at the market, a woman who recently signed on to become a member of the reserve,” Rysn said. “All that I mentioned to her was that security fabrials exist, a fact that is not unique to the Thaylen Gemstone Reserve.”

“You yourself mentioned the security fabrial in the storage room. Is it not a disclosure to speak to an outside party of such things?”

“I didn’t mention specifics in the slightest.”

The Board was beginning to chatter amongst themselves, and Queen Fen had resumed wearing that blank expression that told Rysn nothing. Rysn cleared her throat, continuing. “As the woman is a member of the reserve, if you are truly concerned with the truth of what I say, then you would be able to speak to her directly.”

The man nodded. Rysn was winning them over. She was—

Stynrlk sighed. Loudly, and with the intention of silencing the Board. It worked. They all looked at him. “I have...heard discussions,” he said. “About the possibility of Rysn being transferred to a new role. I wanted to bring forth concerns before the organizational structure was shifted. She would be handling far more sensitive information if she were to be promoted. Is that worth risking, when we are recovering from attacks and dealing with new storms?”

_ That crem-eating son of an axehound! _

Rysn saw red. She was at a tipping point. She’d demanded an audience with an island god, had weathered sea storms and travel sickness. She would not be cowed by a civil servant with his dumb eyebrows and dumb accusations!

“Regardless of what was spoken,” Rysn said imperiously, “whatever I said to the woman at the market, I said under the auspices of my role as a master merchant, not as an employee of the reserve. How I assist with the running of Thaylen merchantry is my purview.” Then seeing the queen’s raised eyebrow, she hastened to add, “Your Majesty. Members of the Board.” She huffed. “I did not breach contract. I did not speak false. Please accept my statements as truth, and I beg you bid me leave.”

Rysn sat there, watching the way the Board’s expressions shifted, how they were speaking fast and low, so much that she couldn’t make out individual words. They didn’t acknowledge her request, but she’d done enough. “Wmlak?” she called.

They left the antechamber.

///

Rysn waited for the guards to come by and kick her out of the office. She fiddled with her things nervously, tagging at her strand of colorful feathers and running her hand across a map.

When a guard arrived, she’d accepted her lot in life. She was pretty good at swallowing disappointment. She only hated that she’d let her babsk down.

“Rysn?” the guard asked. “Please follow me.”

“May I box up my things first?” she asked, gesturing to the wall. She’d hate to lose all her memories. It would be way worse than Vstim’s ire.

The guard looked perplexed. “I’m to take you to an audience with the queen. You can leave your things behind. They’ll be there when you return.”

_ Return? _

Wmlak pushed Rysn along the hallway, following the guard. There were whispers coming from the offices nearby. _ Now _people were being nosy. She couldn’t blame them. As they reached the end of the hall, they entered a small, normally empty room surrounded by guards. Queen Fen sat inside. The guard took his leave, and Wmlak followed. All that remained was Rysn and the queen.

“So,” Rysn said.

The queen looked at her, and there was frank appraisal in her gaze. “How would you like to work with my finances directly?”

Rysn jerked in her seat. She stared. “Um.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Um.”

Queen Fen smiled. “Where did all those words from the meeting this morning disappear to? You were quite willing to speak then.”

“They… they fled in shock, Your Majesty.” Rysn shook her head, as if to clear it. “Am I to understand that you are offering me a transfer? To work with your accounts?”

“That is correct.”

“Why?”

“I appreciated your arguments,” said Queen Fen. Something about the way she spoke made each word feel heavy with authority. “You stood up for yourself, even though the meeting was supposed to beat you down.”

Rysn felt a knot loosen in her chest. “I’m not one to give up,” she said.

“So I’ve heard.” Queen Fen gave a wry smile. “Did you know? I’ve spoken with your babsk before. I’m aware of how you received your injuries, and of your obstinance.”

Rysn stifled a groan.

“Don’t mistake me. I don’t say this to speak ill of you,” said Queen Fen. She looked towards the window overlooking the city. “We need obstinance these days.”

_ What is she saying? _

“Our alliance with Alethkar guarantees that Thaylenah will be butting heads with the Alethi,” Queen Fen continued. “Although you won’t have a direct role, I want to know my finances are being handled by someone who can handle her own.”

“Oh,” said Rysn faintly.

Queen Fen gave her a look. “Now that I’ve offered you the job, will you remain silent?”

Rysn fiddled with her eyebrows. She took a breath, then brushed them back behind her ears. She stood up straight, back against her chair.

“I accept.”

///

“You seem subdued,” said Tvlra.

Rysn looked up from the ledgers she was poring over. 

After Rysn got her promotion to handle Queen Fen’s finances directly, she’d requested that Wmlak help her take down her maps, her posters, the funny strands of feathers that shifted in unseen winds. Chiri-Chiri was there, as was Tvynk, but the white walls she’d started with had returned, at her behest. It was as if all those travels she’d been on had been a long dream, and she was just awakening to the real world.

“Sorry, I’m just getting a handle on my new job duties,” Rysn replied. As she glanced back down, she noticed something that didn’t quite add up. She did a quick calculation in the margin. It looked to be a scribe’s error.

Tvlra hummed. “As long as that’s all,” said her former supervisor. “Keep up the good work.” She left Rysn to her task, the door thumping shut behind her.

Queen Fen didn’t have any secret accounts or odd, hush-hush expenses. She wasn’t a closet collector of vintage wines. Most of the expenses were rather ordinary, save for the fact that they spoke of a nation readying itself for a national emergency.

True be told, Rysn _ was _a good fit for royal accountant. Merchants were tidy with their sums, lest their profits go awry. But some days she felt as empty as her office.

_ I’m still so bored! _

“Chiri-Chiri,” she said, “do you miss the islands?”

The larkin looked down at her from the lintel, as if considering Rysn’s question. Rysn wasn’t really sure how smart the creature was, and it was moments like these that she felt that maybe she should think about what she actually said in Chiri-Chiri’s presence.

But of course Chiri-Chiri only responded with a click, and by flying over to her to land on her shoulder. Chiri-Chiri was getting bigger every day, and hungrier for Stormlight. Rysn needed to pay more attention to the highstorm schedules to make sure she infused enough spheres.

_ Stormlight… _

There was one thing that had come out of the conversation with Tvlra. The woman hadn’t just stopped by to chat. She’d wanted to let Rysn know about a recent visitor to the city. An amazing healer.

Rysn wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t been told by the queen herself that the Knights Radiant had returned. It was a story told by firelight at the wagons. It wasn’t _ true. _Except it was.

She looked to space on her upper wall, a blank spot where her map used to be.

_ Maybe I should pay him a visit. _

///

Rysn’s first thought was that the Knight Radiant looked awfully ordinary.

Given who he was—a son of the Blackthorn, an Alethi soldier, a Radiant—she’d had Expectations. A warlike Alethi, tall and imposing. A Shardblade-wielding Radiant, glowing with righteous fury.

The boy before her was neither of those things.

“Hi,” he said.

_ Even his greeting is unimpressive, _she thought.

Still, she’d heard things about this Renarin. What he’d been able to do was nothing short of miraculous. He was a healer of healers, given enough Stormlight.

“Brightlord,” she said, bowing her head. Was that even the proper address? Vstim hadn’t taught her anything about this. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Uh, sure,” he said shyly. “I’m glad to help. I’ve heard a bit about why you wanted to see me, but perhaps you could explain things in your own words?”

Rysn gestured to her legs. Today she wore a loose skirt, all the easier to move around in case the Radiant needed to touch her skin directly. She was glad that Wmlak had parked her and had retreated to the hallway. Everything about this was embarrassing, even considering all the indignities she’d already suffered in the porter’s presence. “I did something stupid a while back,” she said. She paused. “Stupid and noble, but the end result’s the same. I can’t move my legs.”

Renarin nodded, not quite looking at her. “Are the legs themselves undamaged?”

“Well, they were beaten-up at the time of my accident, but no, they’re physically healthy. All breaks and lacerations have healed. I just can’t move them. The surgeons said it had something to do with my spine and how the connection to my nerves was severed.”

“Nerve damage, huh?” said Renarin. His gaze trailed to her neck, and although Rysn felt flush at being examined so closely, she kept her face impassive.

Renarin stepped closer, and it became harder to hide her nervousness.

You’d think she’d be over this sort of discomfort by now.

He reached into a pouch at his waist and picked up a large emerald broam. It was exquisite. He breathed in, and the Stormlight glowing inside the sphere rose up in a thin, wavering stream. Rysn blinked at the sudden brightness in the room. As she watched, the light went into Renarin’s mouth, and he began to glow.

Rysn suddenly laughed.

“You look…just like Chiri-Chiri!” she said, incredulous and amused and feeling so grateful for her gluttonous little larkin. With the Stormlight leaking from his lips, Renarin really did look like Chiri-Chiri at mealtime. Rysn began to laugh. The tension melted from her shoulders.

Renarin paused, and his glowing eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “…what?”

The laughter felt good. Rysn felt her cheeks ache from smiling. “It’s nothing. Just…no, it’s fine.” She gestured to her legs. “Please, continue.”

Renarin smiled uncertainly. “I was going to try and make you less worried, but I guess you did that by yourself?” He held up one of his hands, which now glowed like a lantern. “This may feel a bit strange. Are you ready?”

Rysn nodded. She knew that the healing might not work. She’d been warned that her injuries might be too much a part of her. Well, if it didn’t, then so be it. She didn’t have to _ like _it. There were lots of things she didn’t like.

Beside, she’d long since accepted what she’d done, foolish as it was. She’d proven to herself that there could be multiple paths in life. It was like a trade route being flooded by stormwater. If one path was closed, you found another.

She squared her shoulders, closed her eyes. “I’m ready.”


End file.
